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12 Questions for the next SUSG President and Vice President

Angelica Mae D. Gomez & Margarita M. Delos Santos | Feature Writers

1. HOW DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW?
Right now, it’s a surreal moment. I’m living in the moment now but eventually in the next few days, it‘s gonna come back down to reality and I’m just ready to work actually.

2. WHAT IS YOUR MAIN GOAL AS SUSG PRESIDENT?
The main goal is honestly to unify the university and to actually build the trust back, to gain the trust back of the student body because I know that trust is lost in student leaders and if we can build that trust back from the student leaders, then I think the environment of Silliman will actually change and that change is actually what people really want

3. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT TO START WORKING ON?
First thing that I’ll get started is bring in both parties together as one with SUSG. Because if you don’t do that first, then nothing’s gonna get down throughout the year. That’s the first priority.

4. COULD YOU NAME THREE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THAT YOU WANT TO IMPLEMENT WHEN YOU TAKE THE ROLE AS THE NEW SUSG PRESIDENT FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019?
Genesis (is an annual week-long activity every June mainly for students to get know each othe) for the junior high school level as well as the transitions from senior high school to the university level. Definitely gonna get that back in line. As what’s mentioned before, USpeak (or “University Speak” is a caravan by the SUSG Students’ Rights and Welfare committee aimed to inform students of their rights, privileges, and benefits. Students can also raise their concerns in the caravan) because that was a great initiative and as far as the third one, still fighting fees. I think that’s the biggest thing students want to get engaged in. Not necessarily fight it but give it a better understanding as far as getting on the same page with the administration but with true feedback from the student body, that’s the key.

5. WHAT IS YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE?
My leadership style is actually find delegation because I’m just one person and I know I can’t do everything myself so I have to get everyone involved and with that being said, also me being one person. I know I can’t do it myself, so that’s me trusting each and every one and also I don’t consider (them) a people that work for me, they don’t work for me, we work together.

6. HOW WILL YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE HELP ORGANIZE THE SUSG TO FURTHER YOUR GOALS?
I think my style will give them opportunities to do things, and that means trusting in them because if you trust in the people that work with you, they will be more motivated to actually want to do the job.

7. WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS?
The hardest thing in campaigning actually was trying to really show passion towards the campaign because we put some long nights and long days in and we know that, again I hate to use the word apathy, but we knew that’s what it would be because a lot of people would just talk about promises, talk about changes, but nothing happens. But we had to really show sincerity. We really want to actually improve the student environment here.

8. HOW DO YOU PLAN ON INVOLVING AND HEARING OUT THE STUDENT BODY IN YOUR FUTURE PLANS?
Like one of my campaign plans was to bring the student government to the colleges and departments, and that means actually having meetings with the student councils. Basically, 101, I call it a two-way dialogue and that’s where you get true feedback from the colleges and departments. That way, because if you have standard meetings, you’re not going to get that out of everyone because everyone’s got their own agenda. But if you actually show that you want to engage, you actually have to go to the colleges instead of them going to you.

9. HOW WILL YOU SERVE AS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN STUDENTS AND THE UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION WHEN IT COMES TO FUTURE ISSUES?
First thing is building a good rapport. Luckily, we have a new administration coming in so, you have to start off the right way and I’m hearing that the new president is a psych major as well, so maybe I can just, as we can start having conversations not necessarily on a psych level but all in all, just build a good rapport and that’s the first thing I want to do and then for the administration also to know that we’re on an equal playing field that there is no one above each other.

10. WHAT PROBLEMS CAN YOU FORESEE IN THE COMING YEAR THAT YOU WISH TO OVERCOME?
The biggest one is people who didn’t vote for me for some reasons outside of the norms. I’m sure there are some prejudices about me winning. I’m sure that there are some people that doubt my capability of actually being in SG. Overall, this is not my first time in student government. It may not have been SUSG, but it’s not my first time in student government. So, I know what’s going on within government as long as we work together, that’s the key thing. We’re all in.

11. WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISION YOU’VE EVER HAD TO MAKE DURING YOUR LAST LEADERSHIP POSITION?
I hate to say this but the worst one that everyone knows that CAS didn’t have a Miss Silliman to let everyone know that weren’t gonna have a Miss Silliman due to finances within the college itself. We didn’t have enough money to support a candidate, so to face the student body and let them know that we didn’t have one. I think that was one of the toughest decisions I had to make.

12. WHY SHOULD STUDENTS TRUST YOU?
Not necessarily say trust me, but I think I will rather for them to actually have faith in me to do the right thing, and I say that because I would not have run for this position if I did not think I could do the job. So, like what I was telling people on my campaign trail, things won’t change overnight. It’s impossible. But as long as we work together and take our baby steps towards getting there, that’s the only thing you can do because there is only one term, there’s only one school year. So, majority of the things that are still going on are gonna take a while to do.

1. WHAT DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FOUND OUT YOU WON AS 2018 SUSG VICE PRESIDENT?
It was a bittersweet feeling actually. I wanted to be happy and enjoy my victory, but seeing many people from the party get emotional also made me sad.

2. WHAT SHOULD THE STUDENTS LOOK FORWARD TO IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION?
The students in Silliman should look forward to an SUSG that is more transparent and consistent and one that will really cater to the students’ needs.

3. WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE UPCOMING SUSG ADMINISTRATION?
Working together with people from the other party, especially their president who is a Dad Mason. I am excited to learn from their values and work ethics.

4. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO IN WORKING WITH DARYL?
Being a DeMolay and him being a Mason, I think we would go along good because we more or less share the same values coming from the same Fraternity or family. I really look forward to learning a lot from him, not only in giving service to the students, but also real life lessons as well.

5. WHAT IS THE ONE PROBLEM IN THE CAMPUS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO FIX AND HOW WILL YOU GO ABOUT DOING IT?
The biggest problem I would want to fix would be student apathy. I aim to do this by creating activities that really come from the input of students so that they will be more interested in joining rather than just be forced to go for the sake of having their attendance checked.

6. CAN YOU SHARE WITH US AT LEAST 3 SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THAT YOU’RE PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR?
First would be making the SUSG more transparent by keeping financial statements open for everyone to see. Second would be giving attention and recognition to E-sports in the university. Last would be creating an honesty store that would not only help the SUSG hopefully generate funds but also strengthen their character.

7. WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HAD TO FACE DURING THE CAMPAIGN?
Having to campaign three days alone because our president was also duty-bound to lead their class as the current president also when they had their field trip in Manila.

8. WHAT DID YOU LEARN DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION?
A lot. The campaign taught me to really work hard and persevere despite the hardships and has helped me to be more confident when speaking. Hearing concerns and suggestions from a number of students also made me understand what their real problems are and how to deal with it properly

9. WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT DURING THE ELECTIONS?
Nothing can ever compare to the anxiety I felt while waiting for the results and because of this, I believe this is the most memorable part of the whole election and campaign.

10. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION AND HOW DID YOU ADDRESS THE SITUATION WHEN SOME STUDENTS WERE ALREADY ARGUING OR FIGHTING JUST BECAUSE OF THE ELECTIONS?
I felt disheartened of all the conflicts that were going on because even if we come from different parties, we all share the same end goal which is to serve the Silliman community. What I always told the representatives and supporters from our party was not to mind all the issues happening in social media but instead focus on ourselves, on how we can be better.

11. WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE TO THE STUDENTS YOU WILL SERVE?
As much as the SUSG wants to create activities and programs that benefit the whole Silliman student body, we can’t do it alone. Students also have to do their part by being more responsive and by voicing out their concerns or suggestions to the SUSG.

12. COMPLETE THE SENTENCE: I AM VNZICHRO SARNO, THE SUSG VP-ELECT, AND I AM _____.
I am Vnzichro Sarno, your SUSG VP for next school year and I am more than ready to fight for what you deserve and bring the banner of service beyond personal interests into the SUSG.

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CAMPUS JOURNALISM EXCELLENCE AWARD: Diorson Baseleres, youngest son of Dr. Rosario M. Baseleres and the late Dionisio T. Baseleres, together with College of Mass Communication OIC-Dean Melita C. Aguilar (left) and Vice President for Development Jane Annette L. Belarmino at the launching of the Dionisio T. Baseleres Award for Excellence in Campus Journalism last Feb. 22.PHOTO BY Hannah Bengco

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the Weekly Sillimanian, also known as tWS, is the official weekly student publication of Silliman University, a private Christian university in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Its origin dates back to as early as 1903. Today, the paper is one of only four campus publications in the country that publishes on a weekly basis.